New World, Marine G-3 Base.
Boom!!!
Following a terrifying explosion, the magnificent building collapsed as intense flames and thick black smoke billowed out.
On the main cannon at the bow of the *Freewill*, a layer of pale blue fluorescence slowly dissipated. After confirming the target was destroyed, Gin removed his hand from the cannon and jumped back onto the front deck.
"Good job, Gin. Come to think of it, your ability is really convenient. If I had known, I would have eaten it myself," Allen chuckled, patting Gin on the shoulder.
Gin smiled faintly. "If the captain had eaten the More-More Fruit back then, wouldn't it have been my turn to eat the Soul-Soul Fruit? I almost got a huge bargain."
"Hahahaha! That really is a pity. Let's go," Allen laughed loudly, then turned around. "The Marines attacked four of our islands, and we destroyed four of their Marine bases. We'll call it even. Let's head to Raijin Island next."
Raijin Island was one of the gateway islands to the New World. The surrounding sea was shrouded in heavy thunderclouds year-round, and lightning rained down on the island constantly.
Now that he had acquired the Soul-Soul Fruit, he planned to use his own soul to create a few powerful Homies.
Aside from using his own soul, the stronger the target of the soul bestowal, the stronger the resulting Homie would be.
The thunderclouds of Raijin Island were one of his targets. Next would be the Ice Continent in Kano Country, the largest active volcano in the Naroa Volcanic Archipelago, the Death Swamp in the Sunken Lands, and so on.
They had a lot to do in the coming period. Having just defeated Big Mom, there were plenty of matters to handle in Totto Land and the former territories of the Big Mom Pirates.
There would certainly be no shortage of scoundrels trying to muddy the waters and take advantage of the chaos.
There was also the expansion of the Sea Train routes and the coordination of operations in the first half of the Grand Line.
However, these tasks could be delegated. Allen had left Sanji in Totto Land to take full charge of integrating the territory.
Intimidating those reckless factions was, as always, left to Gin. Nowadays, Gin's infamy in the New World was no less than his own.
As for the Sea Train operations, it was naturally best to let Iceburg handle them.
As for Allen, his primary task was to make himself stronger. Besides creating Homies, he needed to refine his Conqueror's Haki and attempt to master Conqueror's Infusion.
His strength was the greatest guarantee that all underlying operations would proceed smoothly.
Once these matters were settled, Allen could begin planning to topple Kaido and occupy Wano Country, which possessed abundant Seastone resources.
"Allen~"
A voice suddenly called out from the ship's cabin. Nami walked out and shouted to him, "The manager of Hundred Seasons Island just called. Two groups are causing a massive uproar over there. They're two Supernovas."
"Supernovas?"
"No way, are there still Supernovas who dare to attack our territory? Could it be that idiot Kid?"
Allen and Gin were both taken aback for a moment.
The Supernovas had basically all been beaten into submission by them. Aside from that hothead Kid, Allen really couldn't think of anyone else who would dare to cause trouble for them.
However, Nami explained, "I asked. They aren't from your generation. One entered the New World two years ago, and the other is this year's Supernova. Their names are Cavendish and Bartolomeo."
Hearing this, Allen realized, "Oh, it's those two."
"Eh? You know them?" Nami asked, puzzled.
Allen smiled. "Cavendish has been highly famous ever since he set sail. As for Bartolomeo, that guy used to be a thug boss in Loguetown. The Marines have a file on him."
"Loguetown? They actually came from the East Blue like us?"
Nami felt a bit surprised. Having been in the Grand Line for so long, they had encountered many pirates from the West, South, and North Blue, and even those born in the Grand Line itself. But people from the East Blue were exceedingly rare.
Nami asked again, "Hundred Seasons Island isn't far from us. Should we head over?"
"Of course. They're two Supernovas, after all. We should at least see if we can recruit them," Allen chuckled with interest.
Thus, Nami returned to the navigation room to arrange the course change. Nowadays, their ship carried Eternal Poses for all their affiliated territories.
They could change course to nearly seventy percent of the islands in the first half of the New World at any time.
As for Hundred Seasons Island, it was a unique climate island famous for experiencing multiple seasons simultaneously. The island was divided into four regions: North, South, East, and West.
Each region had different topography and its own seasonal rotation, but the four regions never experienced the same season at the same time.
Therefore, no matter when one visited, they could experience four seasons on the island simultaneously. It was a famous tourist destination.
Especially the amusement park in the center of the island, featuring the Four Seasons Ferris Wheel, which allowed riders to overlook the island's beautiful scenery from above the clouds. It was consistently ranked among the top three of the [World's Top Ten Most Beautiful Ferris Wheels].
It didn't take long for the *Freewill* to arrive in the waters surrounding Hundred Seasons Island.
Meanwhile, in the most bustling town located in the center of the island, the fierce firefight between the two pirate crews was still ongoing.
Bartolomeo's men wielded all sorts of weapons, ranging from rocket launchers and submachine guns to daggers and clubs.
Cavendish, on the other hand, relied on his superb swordsmanship. Moving like a graceful dragon, he led his subordinates as they charged through the crowd.
The entire surrounding street was engulfed in flames. Bullets, cannonballs, and sharp sword energy flew through the air, accompanied by an endless cacophony of gunfire, explosions, and screams of agony.
"You damn pretty boy! You narcissistic freak, I'm gonna peel that skin right off your face today!"
Cavendish paid absolutely no mind to Bartolomeo's vicious threats.
He elegantly twirled his sword, brushed a hand through his lustrous, curly blonde hair, pointed his blade at Bartolomeo, and smiled. "There is no shortage of fools whose minds are clouded by jealousy of my beauty. If you think you can do it, then by all means, try."
"So handsome!!"
"Lord Cavendish!!"
"Ah! My heart is melting for Lord Cavendish!"
In the corner of the street, a group of women screamed with passionate fervor, hearts practically popping out of their eyes. They were completely lost in Cavendish's handsome face, unable to extricate themselves.
Seeing this scene, Bartolomeo grew even more furious. He clenched his fists, trembling with rage.
"It's hard to imagine there's actually someone this annoying in the world!"
"Uh, boss, it's probably not appropriate for you to say that. Your name is still hanging at the top of the 'Pirate We Most Wish Would Disappear' rankings," a subordinate suddenly popped up beside him and remarked.
Bartolomeo rolled his eyes and glared fiercely, slamming a fist hard onto his subordinate's head.
*Bonk!*
"Is that the same thing, you idiot?! Hurry up and get in there to kill him!"
"You've exposed an opening, you fool!" a sudden shout rang out.
Bartolomeo hurriedly turned his head, immediately spotting Cavendish charging toward him at breakneck speed with his longsword drawn!
"Beautiful Sword: Blue Bird!!"
*Zing!!*
With a shout, Cavendish thrust his sword forward with terrifying, explosive speed. The blade generated powerful slashing air currents on both sides, resembling a blue bird spreading its wings in rapid flight.
However.
*Clang!!*
This swift and powerful strike came to an abrupt halt just as it was about to pierce Bartolomeo!
*Boom!!*
The powerful sword energy erupted outward, blowing away all the surrounding pirates!
'What's going on!'
Astonishment flashed in Cavendish's eyes. No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't make the blade advance even a fraction of an inch, as if an invisible barrier stood before him.
Bartolomeo grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, and mocked playfully, "Crossing your index and middle fingers creates a barrier. Even a kid knows that, you idiot."
"There's no way such a rule exists in this world. You're an ability user, aren't you?" Cavendish said coldly, using the recoil of his sword to leap backward.
Bartolomeo flipped him the middle finger, stuck out a long tongue, and sneered sarcastically, "Bingo. I'm a Barrier Human who ate the Barrier-Barrier Fruit. I can deploy a barrier anytime, anywhere. No matter what kind of attack it is, it can't break through my absolute defense."
"Absolute defense? Don't speak too soon."
Cavendish smiled coldly. A cold gleam flashed across his longsword as Armament Haki rapidly coated the blade.
Unlike Bartolomeo, who had only recently entered the New World, Cavendish had been navigating it for two years. He had long since mastered both types of Haki and knew that Haki could counter ability users to a certain extent.
Cavendish leaped into the air, attempting to bypass the barrier and attack from above.
"Beautiful Sword: Swan Lake!!"
With a loud shout, Cavendish positioned himself upside down above Bartolomeo, swinging his famous sword Durandal in a spinning slash!
*Clang!!*
Unsurprisingly, the slash descending from above was once again blocked by the invisible barrier. The famous sword Durandal couldn't shake it in the slightest.
"Hehahahaha!"
Bartolomeo laughed arrogantly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. His middle finger remained wrapped around his index finger, maintaining the cylindrical barrier that enclosed him.
"I told you it's useless. No matter what kind of attack it is, it's all the same. My barrier can never be broken."
"Damn it!"
Cavendish gritted his teeth, infuriated by his opponent's arrogant demeanor.
Perhaps his Haki wasn't strong enough, or perhaps the opponent's barrier truly was an absolute defense, but there was no doubt that he couldn't cut through it.
"In that case, there's only one way."
Cavendish dropped his offensive stance, raised a hand to brush his lustrous, curly blonde hair, and said smugly, "No matter how powerful a Devil Fruit is, it has its limits. Although I don't know what your weakness is, I do know that using an ability consumes stamina."
"As long as I attack continuously, you'll have to keep using your ability to defend. Who do you think will run out of stamina first?"
Cavendish smiled coldly, raised his longsword, and swiftly charged forward. He sprinted around Bartolomeo, continuously thrusting his sword from different directions!
*Clink! Clink! Clink!*
Crisp sounds continuously rang out against the barrier. Bartolomeo's eyes rapidly tracked Cavendish's movements, a hint of solemnity appearing in his gaze.
He hadn't expected his opponent to come up with this tactic so quickly.
Cavendish was too fast. Bartolomeo didn't dare use only partial defense; if he missed even once, he would be finished.
But maintaining an all-encompassing barrier would drain his stamina far too quickly.
Of course, Cavendish's method of attack would also rapidly consume stamina, but it would accelerate the pace of this war of attrition.
It was hard to say who would win in the end, but his own risks had undoubtedly increased significantly.
'This pretty boy actually has some skills. Damn it!'
Bartolomeo gritted his teeth and hurriedly shouted outward, "Hey! Ignore his men for now! Focus all your fire on him!"
If you can't win a one-on-one, call for backup. That was the survival code of a thug.
Soon, many of Bartolomeo's underlings surrounded the area.
"I'm protected by my barrier! Just open fire on me!"
"Yes, sir!"
*Rat-tat-tat-tat!*
In an instant, a massive barrage of bullets poured out, striking the barrier like a torrential storm before ricocheting away.
Faced with the concentrated fire of so many firearms, Cavendish, who had been continuously attacking Bartolomeo, was forced to leap back and retreat.
"That despicable bastard!"
Cavendish gritted his teeth. The two of them were finding each other more and more repulsive by the second.
But right at that moment.
A powerful aura suddenly appeared at the end of the street, carrying a terrifying mental pressure that swept over them like a tidal wave!
*Thud!!*
Wherever the pressure passed, everyone felt as if they had been struck in the back of the head, instantly rolling their eyes back and fainting.
The more severely affected even foamed at the mouth, their bodies going limp as they collapsed to the ground!
"Who's there?!"
"What's going on?! Hey, wake up!"
Seeing this scene, both Cavendish and Bartolomeo's expressions changed simultaneously.
The two abruptly turned their heads toward the end of the street, only to see several figures slowly approaching.
The man leading them wore a black overcoat. His gaze was calm yet exuded a domineering presence. With every step he took forward, the pressure they felt intensified.
In just a single glance, both Cavendish and Bartolomeo realized Allen's identity.
"Could it be... you're...!!"
"An Emperor...!!"